ESCO Technologies Inc. $ESE Stake Increased by Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH

Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH lifted its holdings in ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE) by 65.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 140,255 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock after buying an additional 55,560 shares during the period. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH owned about 0.54% of ESCO Technologies worth $27,404,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ESE. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in ESCO Technologies in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Private Trust Co. NA increased its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 118.5% in the 3rd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 142 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the period. First Horizon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of ESCO Technologies in the third quarter worth approximately $36,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of ESCO Technologies by 100.0% during the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 188 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the period. Finally, Quent Capital LLC purchased a new position in ESCO Technologies during the third quarter valued at approximately $42,000. 95.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

ESCO Technologies Stock Performance

ESE stock opened at $279.18 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $260.01 and a two-hundred day moving average of $227.60. ESCO Technologies Inc. has a 12 month low of $134.78 and a 12 month high of $291.31. The company has a market capitalization of $7.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

ESCO Technologies (NYSE:ESE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by $0.32. ESCO Technologies had a net margin of 25.28% and a return on equity of 12.55%. The business had revenue of $289.66 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $289.30 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.92 EPS. ESCO Technologies’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.3% on a year-over-year basis. ESCO Technologies has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.750-1.850 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 7.900-8.15 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that ESCO Technologies Inc. will post 5.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ESCO Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 17th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 2nd will be paid a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 2nd. ESCO Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 2.72%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ESE has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. CJS Securities upgraded shares of ESCO Technologies to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research note on Wednesday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $350.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered ESCO Technologies from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Zacks Research raised ESCO Technologies to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded ESCO Technologies from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, ESCO Technologies currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $275.00.

ESCO Technologies Profile

ESCO Technologies Inc is a diversified manufacturer of engineered products and systems designed to meet customers’ critical performance requirements in the test, measurement, control, and filtration of data, fluids, and gases. The company serves a wide range of end markets, including commercial aerospace, defense, industrial, medical, and communication network sectors. ESCO’s solutions are tailored to environments where reliability, precision and regulatory compliance are paramount.

Operating through multiple business segments, ESCO Technologies delivers test and measurement instruments such as RF and microwave components, signal distribution systems, and integrated test enclosures that support defense and aerospace programs.